Vehicle speed recorder



Feb. 8, 1944. c H. H. RODANET VEHICLE SPEED RECORDER Filed June 4, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR= CHARLES HILAIRE HENRI RODANET ATTORNEYS I Feb. 8, 1944. c. H. H. RODANET 2,341,118

' VEHICLE SPEED RECCRDER Filed June 4, 1940 4Sheets-Shet 2 ,FieB.

III "II II II II" II IIUIII INVENTOR;

CHARLES HILAIRE HENRI RQDANET BYMMQf AT. TOR N F3613 Feb. 8, 1944. c. H. H. RODANET VEHICLE SPEED RECORDER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORQ CHARLE6 HILAIRE HENRI RODANET Filed June 4, 1940 ATTORNFVS 'Feb. 8, 1944. c. H. H. RODANET I 1,

VEHICLE SPEED RECORDER Filed June 4, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOPQIY CHARLES HILAIRE HENRI RODANET Patented Feb. 8, 1944' vEmoLE SPEED RECORDER Charles Hilaire Henri Rodanet, Neullly-sur- Seine, France; vested in the Allen Property Custodian Application June 4, 1940, Serial ism-338,695 r In France June 14, 1939 3 Claims. ((1234-30) The present invention has for object an apparatus for recording the speed oi a vehicle. Said apparatus is of the type in'which use is made in combination: 01' a totalizing meter, an instantaneous speed indicator and a system for recording said speed.

Y This apparatus is mainly characterizedby the following points applied separately or in any combinations:

(a)- The recording of the instantaneous speed is insured by a stylus movable in translation and the position of which is Iunction of that of the index indicating said speed, said stylus moving opposite a strip of paper which unwindsat a reduced speed, proportional to that of the vehicle and transversely to the displacements of the stylus, the indications traced by the latter being visible through an opening or notch formed in th dial of the apparatus. 1

(b) The roll of paper is placed in a removable drawer, locked by a safety lock.

nected 'to the transmission shaft of the recording speedometer.

(e) A cam, adjustable in position, kinematically connected to the index indicating the instantaneous speed, acts, as soon as a given speed is reached, to close the circuit 01' a signalling lamp placed on th apparatus.

- (f) The casing of the apparatus, provided with a protecting glass plate, holds the signalling lamp.

which is subjected to the action of a spring, in position, after assemblage on the base plate.

(9) The casing is locked in position, by piv oted bolts urged to open position by a spring and held in locked position behi. i projections or thereof in section and other portions omitted, il-

- lustrating thebase member, the associated ,dial,

and the upper and lower compartments.

Fig. 2 is a section made according to line II-II of Fig. 3 or of Fig. 5.

Fig. 3 isa section made according to'line' VII-v11 of Fig. 3 or of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a section, on an enlarged scale, made according to line VIHVIII of Fig. 4.

a smaller scale.

. of example only, comprises a base plate or rear Fig. 9 is a front view of the apparatus, but on Fig. 10 is a general perspective being partly disengaged.

The recording speedometer, illustrated by way view, the drawer plate I, afront plate 2 and an intermediate plate '3 extending only in the upper region. The rear plate i and the intermediate plate 3 are connected by rods 4 and the front plate 2 is connected to the intermediate plate 3 by rods 5.

' Moreover, between the front and rear plates 2 abutments of the casing, through the medium of screws permanently mounted on said bolts.

The invention also extends to other particular points which will appear in the-following text given with reference to the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, in which:

Fig. 1 is a general elevation with section made according to line 1-1 of Fig. 2. 1

Figure 1A is an isometric view, with portions and l, below the intermediate plate 3 is arranged a U-shaped wall 8 the bottom 6 of which is rigidly secured to the rear plate I and the lateral walls or branches i of which extend up to the front plate 2 so as to constitute a rectangular channel or tunnel I (Fig. 5) in which can be engaged, by a movement of translation, a drawer 8.

In front of the plate 2 is arranged a dial 8 provided with a lower notch ill and an upper port ll, said dial being secured in position on said plate 2 by rods l2. A casing ll, fitting over the base plate I, is provided with a protecting glass plate l5 and it is held stationary in position by pivoted members It. Said members I 8. two in number, are oppositely arranged and they are pivoted at H on the base plate l Said'members, the inoperative position of which is more (particularly illustrated in Fig. 7, are constantly urged in said position by a common spring l8. 0n said members are threadably secured screws l9, passing through oblong ports 20 formed in the base plate I and which cannot be completely disengaged from the members owing to the fact that they each comprise a stop pin 2|. 1

The angular displacement, in the direction of the arrows 22 of the members it is determined 2% asstis by screwing the screws iii, the ends of said mem hand, an index 2? indicating the instantaneous speed, moving over the dial it. The intermediate movement transmitting mechanisms interposed between the drive 2%, the drums 2t and the spindle of the index 271, are illustrated in the drawings but will not be described as they are of the type currently usedin the art and the improvements forming the subject-matter oi the present application do not relate to these mechanisms. It will be noted that the indications given by the totalizer it are visible through the port ii provided at theupper part of the dial ii.

According to the invention, the control of a shaft journalled in the drawer i3 is derived from the drive This transmission is efiected by a shaft iii out so as to constitute a worm meshing with a set of teeth 32 formed at the end of a shaft 33 carrying a pinion 3 1 meshing with a pinion '35. On the shaft 38 of pinion 3b is rigidly secured a pinion 3? which is more particularly shown in Fig. 5 and which projects within the channel .l. When the drawer i3 is mounted in position in the channel i, a pinion 39, fast on the shaft 3t, engages with the driving pinion 3i.

The shaft Bil, which is thus rotatively driven at a reduced speed but proportional to the speed of the drive 25, is devised to constitute two smooth co-axiai rollers it and ll and an intermediate milled roller 52 for etlecting the feeding of a paper strip 53 (Fig. 6). This strip 63, which is previously wound to form a roll l l, engages at its unwindingend between a counter-roller or pressure roller and the triple roller it, ll and t2, the roller fit being arranged opposite the milled roller 2. Said pressure roller 4% is iournalied in-slide-blocks it movable in translation in corresponding perforations formed in a stay member 41 of the drawer ll. Said slideblocks 48 are constantly urged in one direction, towards the roller t2, through the medium of a spring 48 taking a bearing, on the one hand, on the head of a screw 49, mounted on the stay member 47 and, on the other hand, on a plate 59 pressing at its ends on the two slide-blocks it. The paper strip 53 is thus fed by the roller d2 against which it is pressed by the roller d5 so as to move in the direction or the arrow b2. After passing between the roller 42 and the roller the strip and the recording thereon is stored in a housing be of the drawer B as more particularly shown in i5.

Before engaging between the roller t2 and the roller lt, the strip ll passes over a guiding roller 55 and on a recording table til, the recording stylus 57 being pressed on the strip 53 resting on said table The paper roll M3 is mounted on a spindle 5? engaged, by means of lateral grooves 53, in the drawer 8, said spindle being pressed against the bottom forming bearings of said grooves by a roller '60 resiliently held on the periphery of the roll Ki i.

filaid roller Si) is mounted on a resiliently distortable wire ti pivoted and wound on. a shaft t2 mounted on the drawer and which takes a bearing at 53 on the bottom 64 of the housing E l. For mounting the roll it in position, the roller til and the wire bl are lifted in the direction of the arrow 85, the roller resuming the position illustrated in Fig. 6, after the roll of paper M has been mounted in position. It will be noted that the peripheral roller til holds the paper roll Ml in position while insuring a slight braking action so as to avoid the accidental unwinding of the paper roll ti l.

The stylus ill is movable in translation at right angles to the direction of the displacement of the strip 13. Said stylus b'l is rigid with a rod bl rigidly mounted on a rack til guidedin trans- "lation and with which constantly meshes a pinion "Bl meshing with a pinion til rigidly secured on the shaft til of the index 2l indicating the instantaneous speed; the stylus and its reel: are restored to the position of rest by a long spring blade til passing over a pulley With the pinion til also meshes a wheel iii on which is rigidly secured, in an adjustable manner, a cam it which acts, as soon as the instantaneous speed has reached a given value, on a rocking arm l2, pivoted at it and constantly urged against said cam by a spring or any equivalent means. Said rocking arm it carries a contact member It which engages; when the arm it has moved sufficiently between contact blades lit and it, in order to close the circuit of a Sig" .of current and the rod it is constituted by the extension of the contact blade or rod it, the blade it being connected to earth.

It will also be noted that the lamp ll, which is engaged in an insulating member til secured on the plate 2, is constantly urgedby a resiliently distortable blade ill acting on its inner end 82, against a red signalling glass plate 83 secured on the front face of the casing i l.

Another glass plate 23' symmetrical to the glass plate 83 relatively to the vertical axial plane, is arranged opposite a spare lamp li The drawer 8 is locked in position by a latch lib (Fig. 3) constantly urged in unlocked position by a spring Ql'and which can press behind an abutment b rigid with the drawer it. Said latch. 9i? is brought into locking position, in antagonism to the action of the spring M, as more particuindicating to the driver ofthe vehicle the upper speed limit which the vehicle must not exceed.

The use of the recording speedometer previously described is as follows:

The owner oi": the lorry, after placing the paper roll M in position in the drawer ll, passes the end of the strip ill between the driving roller 32 and the pressure roller 55. The owner then engages the drawer d in the channel 5 and locks said drawer in position as shown in Fig. 3 by actuating the key M which he keeps. The placing in position oi. the drawer B has automatically caused the pinion fast on the shaft 38 to mesh with the driving pinion 3'1.

It the driver of the vehicle exceeds for instance the speed of 65 kilometers an hour, indicated by the reference mark 96, he is warned thereof, on

the one hand, owing to the fact that the index 21 passes beyond said reference mark and, on the other hand, by the lamp 'I'I being placed in circuit and which lights. Furthermore, the instantaneous speed of the vehicle is recorded at every instant on the strip 43 which preferably bears longitudinal lines marked out in kilometers per cations or changes which do not alter in any way the main features above set forth or the desired result remain included in the scope of the present invention.

What I claim as my invention cure by Letters Patent is:

' 1. In an apparatus for recording the speed of ,a vehicle ofthe type having a dial and a graphic and desire to serecording device and being provided with feeding means for a record strip, the combination, with a base member carrying said dial and said recording device, a casing cooperating with said base member for enclosing said dial and recording device, and a removable drawer in said casing, constituting a framefor directly supporting said feeding means and said record strip, said' dial having means for exposing therethrough at. least a portion of the record strip to view.

2, In an apparatus for recording the speed of a vehicle of the type-having a dial and a graphic recording device and being provided with feeding means for a record strip, the combination, with a base member carrying said dial and said recording device, a casing cooperating with said base member for enclosing said dial and recording device, a wall carried by said base member thereby subdividing the enclosed space into an upper and a lower compartment, said casing hav- "ing an opening therein communicating with one of said compartments in said casing, a drawer for supporting said feeding means and record strip,

said dial having means for exposing therethrough at least a portion of the record strip to view, and said drawer being slidably mounted in said casing opening and also in one of said compartments, and interengaging' means between said sliding drawer and the interior of its associated com- Kpartment for releasably holding'said drawer in position.

3.v In an apparatus for recording the speedof a vehicle of the type having a dial and a graphic recording device and being provided with feeding means for a record strip, the combination with a base member carrying said dial, said dial having a window therein, a casing cooperating with said base member for enclosing said dial and recording device, a slidable drawer mounted in said casing and being positioned adjacent said window, a recording table on said drawer over which said strip passes, said table being positioned opposite said window, and means carried by, said drawer for guiding said strip while passing over said table in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of said dial, and means supported by said base member and cooperating with said strip for making a record on the strip.

CHARLES I-IILAIRE HENRI RODANET. 

